In the mid-1950s, Chinese authorities suppressed the "Hu Feng counter-revolutionary clique" composed of members of the then Chinese literary and art scene, and Mao Zedong (
The naked truth of this statement was once again revealed prior to this year's world celebration of Human Rights Day on Dec. 10. At least 10 residents of Dongzhou Township in Guangdong Province, who participated in a protest against corruption, pollution and land seizures, were shot dead by riot police. There have been reports quoting villagers as saying that there were even tanks or armored vehicles patrolling the scene, a situation similar to what followed the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
It was unusual that the New York Times gave this incident a front-page headline saying that China's riots were getting worse. It could also be said that Beijing is also gradually losing its grip on the nation, for not only is it unable to control protests, it has shown itself unable to restrain rampant exploitation by local interest groups, including looting and killing.
Between August and September, there was a different riot incident instigated by villagers from Guangdong's Taishi Village. Although this incident was given positive coverage by the state-controlled media, it still resulted in repression by the local government, which colluded with local gangs. As a result, even lawyers and other professionals showing concern over this incident were reported by the international media to have been kidnapped or assaulted.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (
No matter what the truth of the matter is, the hypocrisy of "people-based" governance, as proclaimed by Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Repression against human rights protests will just get further out of hand, with the result that lives will be lost as in last week's incident in Guangdong.
In order to safeguard their own interests, privileged groups in China will get rid of people either directly or indirectly. The two incidents already mentioned are examples of the former, while man-made disasters -- such as mining disasters (which are so frequent they kill an average of 16 people each day), explosions in chemical factories (primarily caused by ignoring safety in a drive toward higher profits) -- are examples of the latter.
The Mainland Affairs Council and the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy have censured China for the recent massacres. In this way, they highlight Taiwan's effectiveness as a democratic nation.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which has joined hands with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), should show more concern for the misfortune of the Chinese people. I look forward to what the pro-China KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
Paul Lin is a commentator based in New York.
TRANSLATED BY LIN YA-TI
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests. How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwan’s defense, and how credible the deterrent against Chinese aggression proves to be, will profoundly shape the Indo-Pacific security architecture for years to come. A successful defense of Taiwan through strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific would enhance the credibility of the US-led alliance system and underpin America’s global preeminence, while a failure of integrated deterrence would
The Executive Yuan recently revised a page of its Web site on ethnic groups in Taiwan, replacing the term “Han” (漢族) with “the rest of the population.” The page, which was updated on March 24, describes the composition of Taiwan’s registered households as indigenous (2.5 percent), foreign origin (1.2 percent) and the rest of the population (96.2 percent). The change was picked up by a social media user and amplified by local media, sparking heated discussion over the weekend. The pan-blue and pro-China camp called it a politically motivated desinicization attempt to obscure the Han Chinese ethnicity of most Taiwanese.
On Wednesday last week, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) asserting the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) territorial claim over Taiwan effective 1945, predicated upon instruments such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. The article further contended that this de jure and de facto status was subsequently reaffirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a statement categorically repudiating these assertions. In addition to the reasons put forward by the ministry, I believe that China’s assertions are open to questions in international
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment on Friday last week to add four national holidays and make Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors — a move referred to as “four plus one.” The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who used their combined legislative majority to push the bill through its third reading, claim the holidays were chosen based on their inherent significance and social relevance. However, in passing the amendment, they have stuck to the traditional mindset of taking a holiday just for the sake of it, failing to make good use of
RSS